Fantasy Family Simulator (FFS)

"My lord, just building the walls alone will save a lot of time, especially with the massive stone blocks. This will certainly speed up the process by saving the stonemasons the trouble of sourcing materials and traveling back and forth," Tardell remarked with admiration.

He couldn't help but reminisce about his mercenary days, recalling some of the mages he had met. While mages and knights each had their own strengths, during wilderness survival, a mage in the group was invaluable. Earth mages could slightly alter the terrain, fire mages could start fires at will, water mages could provide clean water, and wind mages could disperse fog. Not only were mages as powerful as knights in battle, but they also brought many conveniences during peaceful times, which explained their high status.

The next morning, Rhett was meditating in his room, feeling the gradual increase in his mental power. Accumulating mental power was a long-term effort, requiring consistent and diligent practice. With his improved talent and the Furnace Meditation Technique, his progress was several times faster than before, but he still had a long way to go to reach the level of a third-tier mage.

"I'll wait for an urgent situation to use real simulations to accelerate my mental power growth," Rhett thought to himself.

Just then, the long neighing of a horse from downstairs interrupted his thoughts. Rhett opened his eyes and walked to the window. Pulling aside the curtain with cloud patterns, he looked down to see four horses standing in neat rows on the stone path beside the road. Tuck was turned away, gently stroking the neck of the leading black horse, seemingly bonding with it. Behind it were three other horses, less robust than the black one, as they were pack horses—meant for carrying goods and pulling carts, known for their endurance.

The estate had more than just four horses, but this time, the caravan's main objective was to trade for magic plant seeds and purchase some iron ore. The territory's operations relied on iron ore, which was essential for making tools, weapons, horseshoes, and more. Since this wasn't a large-scale trade, they didn't need to send too many horses.

Stretching, Rhett decided it was time to head down for breakfast before the caravan set off. As he descended the stairs to the first floor, he saw his three sons already seated at the dining table, waiting.

"Good morning, Father," Tylers greeted cheerfully. Since overcoming the shadow of his near-marriage to the corpulent lady, his days had returned to their usual calm. His daily routine involved leisurely overseeing the territory, reading books, drinking tea, enjoying the view of Sun Lake, and fishing. With the arrival of winter, he sometimes even skated on the frozen lake. Without the pressure of training, his life as an ordinary person was quite relaxed!

"And good morning to you, my children," Rhett replied with a smile.

"Yiya, yiyaya~" A soft, sweet voice echoed.

Rhett's eyes lit up! Ah, the owner of this tender, lovely voice was none other than his grandson, Dick! Dick had already passed his first month, and in this world, where people were generally healthier than on Earth, the one-month-old Dick was already wide-eyed, curiously observing the world from the arms of Tuck's wife, Vanessa.

Vanessa Green, having just given birth, had a slightly altered figure, wearing a loose purple dress. However, as the only female knight in the territory, she would recover quickly.

Vanessa, dressed in her loose attire, noticed the affection in Rhett's eyes and was delighted. Once Rhett was seated at the head of the table, she approached him and said, "Father, since this is Dick's first time at the dining table, would you like to hold him? He was just looking at you."

"Haha, this little guy looks a lot like you. His fair skin is a blessing—I'm glad he didn't inherit Tuck's complexion," Rhett said, taking Dick into his arms and gently pinching his chubby cheeks, full of collagen.

"Yiya," Dick gurgled, tilting his head back and stretching out his short arms, though his fingertips still couldn't reach Rhett's chin.

"Are you trying to grab my beard? Unfortunately, I don't have one," Rhett chuckled.

After playing with Dick for a while, the cook Maru appeared, pushing a small cart through the passageway. "Breakfast is served. Enjoy your meal, my lord, young masters, and ladies," Maru said with a warm, infectious smile as she placed the trays on the table.

Today's breakfast included steak, purple potato mash, fruit and vegetable salad, oatmeal bread, fresh cheese, and braised rabbit meat. Each dish was served in large portions, enough to satisfy Tuck's appetite.

"Let's eat!" Rhett said as he lightly forked a piece of rabbit meat, savoring the flavorful juices. His sons and Vanessa eagerly followed suit, drawn by the enticing aroma of the meal.

Halfway through breakfast, Rhett, as if suddenly remembering something, casually asked, "By the way, how are the preparations for the caravan? What goods are you bringing, and who are you taking with you?"

He looked directly at Riley, who immediately responded, "This time, we're bringing myself, Tuck, Kurs, two knight apprentices, and four retainers. As for the goods, we're taking some specialties from Sun Lake, such as dried fish and shrimp, along with magic plant seeds and various other items like surplus cheese, wild honey, and an antique that a local commoner handed over."

The earlier items were straightforward, but when Rhett heard about the antique, his curiosity was piqued. "Hold on, who submitted the antique, and what does it look like?"

At this, Riley seemed a bit resigned and explained, "Originally, the antique wasn't part of the goods, but last evening, Kudon from the lumberyard brought me an ornate vase, claiming it was from the ancient Gutan Kingdom."

"Oh? The Gutan Kingdom? If that's true, it must be very old indeed," Rhett remarked, pausing his knife and fork, intrigued.

"I inspected it, and the vase seems genuine. The deep material has weathered over the years—something that can't be easily faked. The vase's patterns and coating are exquisite, and the designs are vibrant, far beyond what commoners could afford. I suspect it belonged to a noble family in the Gutan Kingdom and could be quite valuable. That's why I'm taking it along, hoping to find a noble interested in collecting it."

"Hmm," Rhett nodded slowly. The Gutan Kingdom was the predecessor of the Kingdom of Kinlon, with a history spanning over a thousand years. Its rise and fall were a natural part of history. In its final years, the Gutan Kingdom suffered from a tyrannical king and a weakening elite force, leading to internal rebellions. Combined with external threats from the orcs, the kingdom eventually crumbled and was replaced by the Kingdom of Kinlon.

These historical details weren't the focus; what mattered was that the Gutan Kingdom had a peculiar rule that only nobles could use vibrant colors. Whether it was clothing or household items, this tradition carried through. People even used the number and brightness of colors as a status symbol to distinguish noble ranks. Therefore, a vividly colored antique vase likely belonged to a noble from the Gutan Kingdom.

Rhett wasn't particularly interested in collecting antiques, but he knew other nobles would be. Some nobles had a passion for collecting antiques, with a few being almost fanatical about it.

"The vase sounds valuable. Be sure to take it along," Rhett confirmed. He then turned to the butler, Sveta, and instructed, "Today, gather a team and visit Kudon. Search the area where the antique was found thoroughly. If you find anything, report back to me immediately."